Key-can.



No. 758,287. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

T. F. WHITMARSH.

KEY CAN.

APPLICATION rn-zn JAR. so, 1904.

to uonnn.

Patented April 26, 1904.

UNITED STATES- P TENT OFFICE.

THEODORE F. W'HITMARSH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

KEY-CAN.

SPECIFIGATION'forming part of Letters Patent NO. 758,287, dated April 26, 1904.

Application filed January'SD, 1904. Serial No. 191,275. (No model.

To all whom, it may concern: Be it known that I, THEODORE F. WHIT- clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art towhich'it pertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates in general to metallic cans,.and more particularly to that type of cans in which the cover is soldered to the body portion and is removed therefrom by means of a key.

it is customary inmarketing in key-cans to provide a key for each can, so that the purchaser may have at hand means for readily opening the can. Inconvenience is sometimes experienced by the users of keycans, owing either to the loss of a key or to the failure of the dealer tosupply to the purchaser a key with each can. Diiliculty in opening a key-can is also sometimes occasioned by the cover tearing after it'has been partially detached from the can-body, so that a further winding of the cover around the key removes only part of the cover, leaving the opening of the top of thecan so obstructed by the uncle tached portion of the cover as to interfere withthe removal of the contents of V the can.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a key-can which will at all times have a key attached thereto, so that whenever it may be desired to open the can; a key will be athand.-

'A further object of my invention-is to provide a key-can thecomplete removal of the' cover of which may be insured eventhough the cover tears in being removed. 7

A still further object of my invention is to provide a key-can which will be simple in con-- struction and operation, inexpensive in manufacture, and eificient and convenient in use.

My invention, generally described, consists in a key-can the cover of which is provided with a plurality of corner-tongues adapted to overlie the ends of a key prior to opening the goods packed can, and thereby retain the key attached to the can, and to afford a plurality of points at which the key may, if necessary, be applied to the cover to completely remove the same fromthe body of the can.

My inventionwill be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which Figure 1 is a plan View of a can, showing the key attached thereto; Fig. 2 a sectional view on line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a plan viewiof the scrap left after the cutting therefrom-of the covers for cans embodying my invention.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

' Letter A designates the body of the can, which is provided at its top with an inturned flange a.

.13 is the bottom of the can-body. which is secured to the lower edge thereof in any suitable manner-such, for instance, as providing a downwardlyextending groove 6, in which is received and tightly secured the lower edge oi'the can-body A.

C designates the cover of t e can, which is provided with a surrounding h rizontal flange c,'w'hich overlies the flange a, of the can-body. The cover is secured to the can-body by solder interposed between the flanges a and c.

i C and C designate tongues secured to and preferably formed integrally with the cover .The tongues C and C are preferably formed at the diagonally opposite corners of the cover and are adapted to be bent backwardly above the adjacent portions of the cover, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and2. I D-designates a key such as'i s commonly used for removing the covers of key-cans.

d designates a slot formed through the key,

which is adapted to surround one of the tongues G and Cof the cover. The length of the key is such that when laid diagonally upon the cover the loop D which serves as a handle, lies under the tongue Ciwhilethe opposite end B extends between the top of the can and the other tongue.

IOO

-opening the same.

. body is insured.

The tongues C and C are preferably of such a size and shape with respect to the curved corners of the can-body that a sheet of tin or other metal of which the cover is made ma be almost entirely utilized, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. In other words, the metal at the corners of the several covers is not needed, owing to the corners of the can being round, and is utilized for the tongues.

The manner of constructing and using my improvement is as follows: The can-body is formed by any desired method of uniting the side wall to the bottom, after which the cover C is secured to the inturned flange of the body a by interposing solder in a manner well known in the art. A key is then laid diagonally upon the cover and the tongues bent inwardly, so as to removably retain the key attached to the can through the engagement of one tongue with the handle-loop I) of the key and through the engagement of the opposite tongue with the end D of the key. The key is thereby retained upon the can, so that each purchaser of. a can is supplied with a key for It will also be noticed by reference to Fig. 1 that the loop I)? of the handle engages at each side thereof with the shoulder formed between the flangecand the main portion of the cover, thereby preventing the accidental displacement of the key.

.When it is desired to open the can, the key D is removed from between the tongues and top surface of -the cover and one of the tongues passed through the slot (Z in the key. The cover is then removed in the usual manner by rotating the key which winds the cover around the key and breaks the line of solder which unites the cover tothe can-body.

If, as is sometimes the case, after the cover has been partially removed from the can by the rotation of the key-the cover commences to tear, the key may be disengaged from one tongue and engaged with the other tongue and the cover then removed by rolling from the corner to whichthe engaged tongue is se-.

cured. By thus providing two tongues the complete removal of the cover from the can- From the'foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented an improvement in key-cans by which each can has detachably secured thereto a key, so that when it is desired to open the can a key is always.

at hand, and in which the contents of the can may be removed without difliculty owing to provision being made I for the complete removal of the cover. v

While I have shown a can embodying my invention of substantially rectangular form,

yet it is evident that my invention is adapted to be embodied in round or other forms .of cans, the essence of the inventionbeing the provision of a plurality of tongues on the cancover which serve to removably retain a key upon a can prior to opening the latter and which are adapted to be engaged by the key to remove the cover.

While I have described more or less precisely the details of construction, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts, and the substitution of equivalents, as' circumstances may suggest or render expedient, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Pattent, is

' 1. In a key-can, the combination with the body of the can, of a'cover secured thereon, a plurality of tongues projecting from said cover and extending back over the adjacent portions of the cover, said tongues adapted to detachably retain a key upon the can prior to opening the latter and adapted to be engaged by the key to remove the cover from-the can-body.

2. In a substantially rectangular key-can, the combination with the body of the can, of a cover secured thereon, tongues secured to diagonally opposite corners of said cover and extending backwardly over the adjacent portion of the cover, said tongues adapted to detachably retain a key upon the can prior to opening the latter, and adapted to be engaged by the key to remove the cover from the canbody.

3. As an article of manufacture, a key-can comprising a can-body, a cover secured thereon, a plurality of tongues on said cover. a key for removing the cover from the body detachably secured to the can by said tongues.

4. As an article of manufacture, a substan- In testimony whereof I sign this specifica tion in the presence of two witnesses;

THEODORE F..WH1TMARSH.

Witnesses: v 1 THOS. S. VALLETTE,

HOLLISTER S mmons. 

